Family that always wants to borrow money

How many of you guys have family members that call like every time they need money, like you are the bank of everywhere?
I am putting my beautiful daughter Danielle through college, and my youngest son, and they are always needing all kinds of help which is OK, because they are just getting started in life as adults, and I dont mind at all helping them. They are both hard working wonderful young adults, and I can never say enough about how hard they work, and how wonderful they have been their entire life. So, there's a bunch of money going out, but like I said, that's OK and they deserve it.
Now, I have a 30 year old son that has never worked a day in his life, has been in a lot of trouble with the police, been in prison, burned his head out on drugs to the point that he couldn't hold down a job if his life depended on it.
He lives with his mother, and they are just alike. Both like to drink, do drugs, wont work, just pretty much worthless people.
But everytime their car breaks down, or they run out of money, my son calls me, and ask's for money, and always rells me he will pay me back when he has never paid me back for anything in his entire life.
The last time he called ( 2 weeks ago ) he wanted 200 dollars because their car was broke down, and while we were on the phone, I could hear his mother in the background saying, " tell him we need money for cigarettes and beer too".
Just hearing her say that made me want to jump through the phone and choke her! She has been a worthless drunk since I left her years ago, and by the way, that is why I left her. I hate drunks!
So hearing that, I didn't send any money, but now I feel guilty and I dont know why.
I tried to get my son to go to college, I bought him several cars, got him several jobs, and bailed him out of jail several times. I tried to help him everyway possible up to the point that he got on hard drugs, and went to prison, after that I just gave up trying to save him.
So would you feel guilty about not sending money? I guess I just need you guys to help me feel better about this because I am tired of him calling me for money when I know it is for him and his mothers drugs, booze and cigarette habits.

Mom and dad have enough because dad worked every day.
Dbro lost his job because of industry changes and Dsil wasn't working-he never asked me for money.
My Dh had a horrible accident but I never asked any of them for money.
We really don't believe in it. Food yes,advise yes but not enabling.
Maybe I'd pay for a councelor?

Caller i.d., don't pick up the calls, listen to the voicemails, delete voicemails. If you do want to talk, set boundaries. "I'll be happy to talk to you about how your job hunting efforts have been going but if all you are going to talk about is money I am really busy right now."

The closest I get to being asked for money is the casual comments about "Ya I really wanted to get xyz but I didn't have the money." I then chime in "oh I know, those are so cool, but ya I can't get one either." I deflect any attempts at people trying to get money. Even something as casual as "We should do lunch, oh I forgot my wallet" doesn't work with me. I simply offer to reschedule. *yes I am mean and a tightwad and don't care*

My oldest daughter and her dad (my ex) have quite the money racket going on with each other. One or the other always owes money to the other one and its always a big deal, such a mess. I don't want that in my relationship with my daughters. Since they have become adults I have not directly given either of them money. I have bought gifts, things for the new grandbaby that I wanted to get her, taken either of my daughters to lunch, etc. but I don't directly give money.

I'd say you've done your duty to help your oldest son grow up. At 30, he should have gotten his act together already. Handing him money has not proven effective in the past, why should this time be any different? We're starting to see some trends with some of our kids that make us uneasy, so I'm preaching to myself too. If your son was asking for food money, I could see taking over groceries maybe, but I'd never hand him cash. Any other bills he needed help with, if I decided to take care of it, I'd get the address and send the check directly to whoever it was for. We've done that with our oldest child who mismanaged her money and got behind on rent.

I would love to simply tell him to go get a job, but he fried his brain so bad with meth, he is incapable of working, same for his mother. I am not making excuses for them, just letting you know, neither one of them will ever work.
They live in a shack in Oklahoma, with no running water, and how they take showers is beyond me!
I do agree that they have both made their own bed, so it is what it is. I dont even like being around them because they are not the kind of people I associate with, and I am very uncomfortable just being around them!
He gets some kind of disability and I think he gets around 700 dollars a month. But with nothing but an electric bill, you would think they could buy food and do OK on that.
Why would people smoke, drink, and do drugs when they are on such a limited income, just stupid I guess! Like the old saying, there's just no fixing stupid!

Is there someone overseeing your son's situation, such as a case worker? I don't know how Oklahoma handles cases where the person is an adult, but it sounds like he needs somebody besides his mom 'taking care' of his finances. Not sayin' it needs to be you! Somebody local and less emotionally attached would be better. If he's that brain-fried, has be been, or can he be, declared incompetent to care for himself? In that case, the state would be forced to intervene, I would think. Not a pleasant prospect, but it might be best for his protection.

I have a cousin like this. They always have money for pills, alcohol, and cigarettes, but never for food, gas, etc. She has tried this weekend to borrow money from me and I evaded that. I don't like when people do that to me. Especially, when I let you know I am low on money, but you still want me to drive 30 miles to do you a favor that I am getting nothing for.

I have a cousin like this. They always have money for pills, alcohol, and cigarettes, but never for food, gas, etc. She has tried this weekend to borrow money from me and I evaded that. I don't like when people do that to me. Especially, when I let you know I am low on money, but you still want me to drive 30 miles to do you a favor that I am getting nothing for.

Many years ago, when I only had one kid, my cousin's wife would either call or come over and talk about being broke. Only after they moved away, leaving my uncle to deal with the fallout of angry neighbors and friends they'd sent the kids around to to beg for money, did I realize she hitting me up for cash too! Sometimes being dumb and ignorant is not such a bad thing! Honestly, they had more new crap(tvs music equipment, ect, than us..never mind we didn't WANT a tv or that other stuff.. but anyway..My pat answer for those sorts of requests is, "We're barely scraping by ourselves. What's spare money?!?"

Tough love can be hard. Your guilt is just part of parenting.......but know that you are doing what MUST BE DONE......for good or bad.

Don't be an enabler.......

No family here that borrows..........but HAD a friend that would HINT and you were expected to pick up on the hint.....and the friendship was based on how much and when you "gave" her money........you would never get it back. MANIPULATOR!!!

I have no trouble saying "no".........I try not to borrow (and use a bank when I need to) and don't "loan".......

Because you keep taking them away from him by giving him money, making them YOUR problems.

You need to establish boundaries and let him become his own problem. That includes letting him suffer from having fried his own brain, I'm afraid.

If you could kick in the pants the person responsible for your problems, you wouldn't be able to sit for a month.
Did you know that a 4 year student paying $20,000/year who finances their education graduates with over $103,000 in debt to start? But a student who works and pays cash and takes 6 years to graduate ends with $6,300 in their pocket! So much for "getting a head start by financing!"
Greebo(Nerd Spender): Loving and extremely patiently tolerated husband of ceashels.WARNING: Y Chromosome behind the keyboard. Adjust your listening filters appropriately!

Three Two mortgages, twoone no car loans, one no credit cards, and a partridge in pear tree!